The North-Land Capital's Under-City…
It lacked the vibrancy and sunlight of the Top-City, but the myriad of glowing lights illuminating its ceiling, buildings, facilities, and scattered residences gave it a beauty of its own--a dark, electric twin to the city above.
Unfortunately, Dom didn't have time to admire it.
He sprinted across the roof of a building, eyes flicking over his shoulder at a familiar mana dog barking furiously as it chased him.
Its eyes burned with vengeance for its fallen brethren as it picked up speed.
Dom then looked forward and noticed the wide gap to the next building.
But instead of stopping, he accelerated, his bare feet slapping rapidly against concrete while his limbs became a blur until he suddenly launched off the building's edge.
Time seemed to slow as he soared over the massive carriageway filled with moving cars and oblivious pedestrians. The mana dog leapt after him, jaws wide open to devour him, but its teeth barely grazed him as he suddenly kicked the air beneath him.
Providing him with an invisible leverage that gained him enough air-time to land safely on the next building while the dog plummeted behind him.
He rolled to absorb the impact, then slid to a stop. A smirk tugged at his lips as he stared at the gap where the dog fell into -- only for said beast to reemerge, carried by two massive birds with vibrant, glowing green wings.
"You've got to be kidding me," He muttered as he sprinted forward while the birds released the dog and joined the chase.
As time passed, the beasts multiplied in number from above and below.
Dom's focus narrowed as he moved continuously, weaving over, under, and through structures and gaps like a world-class traceur.
I have no idea where I'm going. He thought as he jumped off a building and grabbed onto a fire escape, the metallic structure creaking under his weight.
He then weaved, narrowly avoiding the talons of a mana bird. As the beast turned its eyes to him, he reached out for the escape's railing, bending the thick metal like plastic around the beast.
I just need to distract these things long enough for them to get away.
He wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched the bird struggle against its metal prison.
Just as two loud screeches echoed from above.
With a quick grab and twist, Dom swung his body up to the next railing, narrowly avoiding two similar birds that smashed into the spot he was in like bullets.
He ascended quickly, using grabs and swings to pull his body upwards until he landed on the rooftop.
As he sprinted forward, his eyes locked on the five familiar dogs now racing alongside him across the building to his right.
A roar drew his attention to the left: three mana tigers, each with a monkey riding its back, eyes locked on him as they matched his speed on the adjacent building.
Behind, two more birds closed in, a cacophony of shrieks and growls echoing through the Under-City as they all focused on him.
However, Dom didn't falter, unmoved by their terrifying sounds as he vaulted across a railing, then jumped to the next building, the wind rustling across his tattered clothes.
Mid-air, a bird surged at him, its long, sharp beak whistling through the wind like an arrow aimed at his side.
But Dom twisted, grabbed it by the beak, and flung it into a lizard beast already waiting on the next building with one single motion.
The creatures collided, screeching and hissing as they struggled to disentangle themselves while Dom landed safely beside them and sprinted past.
The tigers and dogs finally leapt from adjacent roofs and caught up to Dom. The mounted monkeys screamed as they launched off the tigers, sharp fingers and teeth aimed at him.
Unfazed, Dom slid under a massive pipe network, sending them crashing into the metalwork with cries of pain.
Emerging on the other side, he found more enemies waiting, jaws snapping, claws brandished, and glowing eyes all fixed on him.
With a confident smirk, he jumped, grabbed an overhead pipe, and swung upwards, narrowly evading their ferocious embrace.
He then flipped onto a neighboring pipe and stood, his weight perfectly balanced on the slippery surface while he surveyed his surroundings: dozens of beasts growled, hiss and barked at him from below, and some birds of various species circled him, like vultures around a corpse.
Then he spotted Noel approaching from an adjacent building with more beasts in tow.
I wonder how much it takes to feed them? He thought, casually back-flipping off a pipe to narrowly dodge a bird, then landed atop a tiger and crushed its skull under his feet. He then punched an attacking dog aside and sprinted again with the remaining beasts in pursuit.
A while later, Dom skidded to a stop in an empty parking lot, with some broken cars scattered across.
"This should do it." He muttered just as his pursuers finally caught up to him.
He turned, eyes narrowed as the beasts converged, screeching, howling, roaring, and growling--but maintaining their distance as they surrounded him.
"Finally tired of running?" Noel's voice echoed.
Dom looked up to see Noel, carried by one of his birds, before dropping down in front of him. With a whistle, the beasts moved, forming a living, ferocious wall around them. A few more beasts emerged from the shadows, as if summoned by his voice.
Despite the terrifying sea of monsters burning him, Dom smirked. "Do you just have pets hanging around the city or something?" He asked.
Noel narrowed his eyes at Dom's carefree expression. "You still don't look scared," He said, his staff firmly gripped in his hand. "Don't tell me you think you can win this."
Dom looked around. "I'm not sure yet." He chuckled, then cracked his neck with a teasing grin once his now full-powered blue mana surged out of his body. "Let's find out."
"Arrogance." Noel scoffed as he raised his staff, electricity crackling at both ends while the beasts prepared to attack.
Dom took his stance, fists glowing with mana as he waited for the first strike…
Five minutes later…
Silence had fallen over the now blood-stained parking lot. The fifty-three summoned beasts were now either unconscious or dead. Their bodies scattered across the lot with a few resting on the already discarded vehicles present.
Dom alone stood among the bodies, chest heaving, body suit torn and bloodied as he stared at Noel--now unconscious with his battered body embedded in the cracked wall behind him.
"See?" Dom panted as he snapped Noel's bow-staff like a twig. "Told… you I could do it," He smiled weakly as he tossed the broken weapon--only for his movement to send him stumbling to the floor.
Dom lay on the floor, breathing heavily with his entire body dripping in sweat. He was exhausted, and it made perfect sense.
He'd been running for more than half an hour, most of the time with just his physical body and no mana enhancement. Then, used up most of his now fully recovered mana in his fight with an A-class mage and several B- to D-class mana beasts.
It was a miracle he could still move.
"That took more out of me than I thought." He whispered, his voice barely audible as he stared at his hand. His flow of mana had returned to his full capacity, but his reserve had been severely depleted.
"I'm so tired…" He sighed, placing the hand over his, then his stomach growled. "Ugh… I wish I'd eaten before we left. I'm starving." He groaned, remembering the breakfast Noah had brought to his room before the escape operation.
As he slowly sat up, realizing just how tasty that sandwich looked, his sense flared and instinctively, mana shrouded his body as something shattered against his neck. He turned, looking down at the broken tranquilizer dart now beside him.
"You idiot," A red-uniformed soldier barked in the distance, shoving the shooter aside. "He has his powers now. If you want to break his skin, you need something stronger." He said as he pulled out a large energy gun.
Dom slowly scanned the area.
Heavy footsteps quickly filled the air as armed soldiers trooped into the lot, their armor mirroring the blood-stains on the floor as they took formation around Dom--bearing weapons and spells more lethal than those guards within the research facility.
He then looked up, eyes narrowing at the dozen more soldiers already perched on the surrounding rooftops, long-muzzled rifles aimed directly at him.
"Subject 267!" A soldier barked from up front. "Put your hands behind your head and don't move. We have you surrounded."
"For fuck's sake." Dom sighed as he pushed himself up, the audible clicks of the trigger-happy soldiers unfading him.
"HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD!" The commanding soldier barked.
"Dude." Dom winced, rubbing his aching head. "Do you really have to shout? I'm not deaf." He turned towards them, giving them a full view of the bloodstains on his tattered clothes.
The soldiers flinched as he glanced at their surroundings, noting the numerous mana beasts all scattered like discarded rags, their blood pooling into the cracked concrete and then the defeated Scout still embedded in the wall like a hung portrait.
The commanding soldier gulped as he stared at Dom, who remained still, completely unmoved by their threats.
As Dom raised a hand, his joints cracking audibly, the soldiers all held one collective thought as his glowing blue eyes locked onto theirs.
Monster.
"Stand down." A feminine voice echoed, and the soldiers stiffened.
Recognizing that voice, Dom frowned and lowered his hand, his gaze drifting to a mage pushing through the soldiers.
Aera stopped some metres from him, her mask doing nothing to hide her familiar robotic stare.
"Our orders were to bring him back with as little damage as possible." She said, glancing at a soldier who shamefully lowered what appeared to be a missile launcher.
"Is this what you call 'little'?" Dom scoffed, gesturing to his injuries.
Aera's eyes narrowed as she quickly took in the destroyed lot, the dead beasts, and finally Noel's body now being retrieved by a few soldiers. "Those two lack restraint. On behalf of the Scouts, I apologize for their crude behaviour." She said calmly.
Dom's frown deepened.
He had personally beaten two of her comrades--she was even staring at one of them, the now battered form of a once proud Scout and yet there was not an ounce of emotion in her eyes.
She then turned to Dom, immediately noticing his unbalanced stance and exhausted expression.
"You're injured and tired." She said, meeting his eyes again. "You can't resist anymore even if you tried. Surrender now, and you'll be pardoned for all this."
Dom dusted himself off, clearly unmoved. "Seriously? I thought you guys would be pissed about me offing your bum guards and strongest men." He teased, drawing angered expressions from the soldiers.
Aera didn't flinch. "You're a special case." She said calmly. "Your injuries will be treated, and you'll be punished only by severe restrictions on your movement. But your life will not be threatened."
"Because I'm that bastard's biggest guinea-pig, right?" Dom asked, a defiant glare in his eyes.
"If that's what you choose to call it, yes." She replied, just as quickly and still as emotionless.
As Dom stared at her, studying her words and lack of reactions, his eyes softened. "I knew it." He muttered, turning to fully face her. "You're different."
She raised a brow, curious.
"This Scout thing…" He continued, gesturing at Noel, who was being treated by medics in the background. "I heard about the ranks. The privileges and rewards that come with it. It's just like nobles with commoners." He glanced at Scout's symbol on her chest. "And judging by the way those two talked and acted, it must be a big deal."
"What's your point?" Aera asked, narrowing her eyes.
At this point, Dom completely ignored the soldiers and weapons around him. His entire focus locked on Aera, his gaze narrowed as if he could see something beneath her cold-hearted exterior.
"You don't care about the Scouts or the privileges or the experiments. Hell, you don't even care about any of these guys." He gestured at them. "You just do what you're told to do. Nothing else matters."
"And? Do you have a problem with that?" She asked.
"Yeah, I do," Dom said sternly. "Because that tells me that you're not doing this because you want to-- you're doing it because you have to."
Aera's brow twitched, a reaction so subtle and insignificant that Dom couldn't notice from the distance between them.
Yet, he could tell from her mana that his words had some sort of effect.
"You said this life was the only one you--"
"I'm not here to talk," She cut in, her voice still expressionless yet almost desperate to stop him.
Dom gave her an extremely serious stare. "Then come with me." He said.
Finally, her once unreadable expression gave way to genuine surprise. Her eyes widened slightly at the clear conviction in his eyes and words.
The commanding soldier suddenly stepped forward, eyes burning with fury. "And why would she--"
Aera held up a hand, silencing him.
"As far as the North and that psycho doc cares," Dom continued, ignoring the soldiers' hateful glares. "… you're just an experiment. A lab rat, just like me." He raised a hand to her, a gesture as gentle as his stare. "Come with me, and I promise to give you a chance at a life where you aren't someone's school project."
Aera's eyes softened slightly, the one subtle cue that Dom picked up. But just as he thought she was about to accept, her eyes suddenly darkened, like some unseen presence threw a dark veil over her face.
"Dr Ivan made me what I am today," She said, her face already reverted to its usual calm neutrality.
Dom clicked his tongue, frustrated at the hold that man held over her will. "You mean a puppet in a super-tight suit?" He scoffed.
She narrowed her eyes at him, unmoved by his teasing. "Are you done?" She asked calmly.
Dom stared at her for a moment, searching for any hope of breaking through, then sighed heavily. "Yeah… I'm honestly too tired to give a speech right now." He said as he ran a hand over his sweaty face, his head tilted back while he stared at the dark ceiling above.
"I'll just say this…" He added, "… I don't know who you are or why you're working for them…but…"
He lowered his head, his eyes fixed on hers with genuine regret.
"... if you keep this up, you'll eventually end up in something even you can't handle."
Aera raised a brow. "And how would you know that?" She asked.
Dom glanced at the dozens of armed men surrounding him, all glaring in his direction with deadly weapons aimed at him.
"Let's just call it… trial and error," He said, smirking as his mana began oozing from his body.
The soldiers instinctively reacted, their weapons and spells already seconds away from firing.
But Aera walked forward, boots echoing ominously through the now silent lot.
"I'll take him. The rest of you, stand back." She said, her voice carrying authority.
Reluctantly, the soldiers retreated to a safe distance, forming a wide perimeter around the two mages.
"I'll say it one more time," Aera said as her dual-colored mana surrounded her body. "Surrender."
Dom smirked as he stomped on the floor, his stance steady and unyielding. "No." He replied bluntly.
"Very well." She muttered, then suddenly dashed forward. The concrete floor crumbled beneath her boots as she closed the distance in an instant.
But Dom didn't defend or run.
With a grunt, his eyes widened, and his body released an overwhelming burst of mana. The air trembled under the intensity of his mana, the space around him bathed in a familiar blue haze.
Aera halted mid-charge, guarding against the Dominance spell with her own mana while the unsuspecting soldiers began to drop like flies.
I knew it wouldn't work on her. She's an S-class after all… Dom thought as he watched Aera resist his spell.
Then, he smirked.
… but at least now, she's distracted.
He crouched, then leapt into the air.
The sheer destructive force crushed the floor and created a burst of wind that slammed into Aera's guard.
As he ascended into the sky, already several feet above the lot with rapid kicks, he released his spell.
I just blew off a lot of mana for that spell, but it was worth it.
He glanced down at the lot now a speck in his vision, his pursuer already out of sight.
I'm too tired to fight anymore. I just need to lose her and join Noa—
Suddenly, his instincts kicked in. He looked up, arms already raised in defense just as Aera's foot smashed into them.
He grunted, his forearms screaming with pain from the force of her kick, which promptly sent him rocketing towards the floor.
His body struck the concrete like a fired mortar, with debris and dust sent flying around him.
He then scrambled upright, eyes widening as he watched Aera kick the air above her; the resulting shockwave propelled her body straight at him.
A maneuver that can only be accomplished by a monstrous physical enhancement. A technique he recognized all too well.
"Gale Step?" Dom grumbled, diving aside just as her foot smashed into the concrete with another explosion that deepened the crater his body had created from the fall.
"What happened to restraint?!" He yelled as he took some quick steps back to a safe distance.
Through the rising dust cloud, Aera stared at him, her expression characteristically neutral. "I've determined that this should be enough to restrain you without seriously injuring you," She said bluntly as she pulled her foot from the rubble beneath her.
Dom smirked at the sheer destruction wrought by a single kick. "I'm flattered," He chuckled, raising his guard as she charged again.